An aggressive retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Markandey Katju and a mild mannered former test cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on Wednesday joined issue with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over its plans to stall the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM), even as the police arrested 12 MNS activists for staging protests in front of at a cinema hall in south Mumbai in the run-up to its plans to disrupt screenings of Karan Johar’s film.
For a change, the MNS found itself at the receiving end, as Katju and Manjrekar took to twitter the MNS’ plans to disrupt the screenings of ADHM and the police arrested a dozen MNS activists and produced them before a city court, which remanded them in police custody till November 4.
Paying back to the MNS — known for its politics of intimidation — in the same coin, Katju put out a series of tweets in which he described himself as an “Allahabadi goonda” and dared the MNS “goondas” to have a “dangal” with him instead of attacking the “hapless” people. In a polite but firm manner, Manjrekar said that if the “one MlA” party MNS did not mend its ways, it would be reduced to “zero-MlA” party in the next elections.
Seeking to demolish the MNS through plain speaking, Katju tweeted: “Why do MNS attack helpless peopleIJ If u are brave, come to me. I've a danda waiting for u and is getting impatient”.
In equally caustic tweets that followed, Katju said: “MNS people are goondas who have drunk the salt water of the Arabian Sea. I am an Allahabadi goonda, who has drunk the water of the Sangam…So instead of showing your bravery on those helpless artists, come have a dangal with me, and let the world see who is a bigger goonda”.
"Several times the UP Police came to my residence in Noida (I dont know at whose instructions) and said they can provide security to me…And every time I told them to buzz off. I need no security. My danda is enough. Allahabad ka hun. So don’t mess with me. Hari Om,” Katju wrote.
Playing on the front foot as he would do when he used to represent India in test cricket, Manjrekar tweeted: “One MlA party, MNS, not learning their lessons. With threats of vandalism etc they are certain to be a zero MlA party next elections”.
Meanwhile, the MNS rejected Karan Johar’s statement that “for me, my country comes first” that he would not engage any Pakistani actors under the "given the circumstances" as an "after-throught" and announced it would go ahead with its protests against the release of ADHM in the multiplexes in the city and elsewhere in the State.
Setting the tone for their impending plans to stall the release of ADHM which would hit screens on October 28, the MNS activists staged a protest in front of the Metro Cinema in south Mumbai, where the police arrested 12 of the protesters.
In an apparent effort to “silence” the MNS ahead of its plans to disrupt the screenings of ADHM, the city police — who have offered full protection for the smooth release of Johar’s film — produced the arrested MNS activists before a Killa Court which remanded them in custody till November 4.
On his part, MNS’ film wing president Amey Khopkar has already gone to town indicating that his party would smash the glass panes of multiplexes if they went ahead with the screening of ADHM.
Having already given a letter to the owners of multiplexes against screening of the ADHM, Khopkar said: “If they go ahead with the screening, the MNS activists would respond to it to Manse (MNS) style… The multiplex owners know that the glass panes in the theatres are costly”.
In another veiled threat handed out to the owners of PVR theatres, Cinepolis, Carnival cinemas and other multiplexes in the metropolis, a senior MNS leader said on Wednesday: “At least 70 per cent of technicians, operators, security guards and class four employees of these multiplexes owe their allegiance to the MNS worker unions. The multiplex owners will land in problems if these employees go on strike ahead of the release of ADHM”.
Meanwhile, the city police are contemplating making elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth release of Johar’s film-- in which Pakistani actor Fawad Khan co-stars with Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma.
In his 90-second video message, Johar had sought to blunt the intensity of protests by the MNS and people from walks of life against his decision to hire Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in ADHM, by saying: “I need to say this and I say this with strength that for me my country comes first. Nothing else matters but my country,” Karan said.
“…Going forward I would like to say of course I will not engage talent from neighbouring country given the circumstances,” the filmmaker had said, after saluting the Indian Army and condemning all kinds of terrorism that affect the people of India.